Studies In the Archaeology of Medieval Europe – serie

Since 1985, Spanish archaeology has radically improved its organisation and effectiveness, supported by law and the transfer of powers to deal with archaeology from central to regional governments. There have been many excavations on development sites in towns and the countryside, but also new studies of rural landscapes and monuments. As in other European countries, this has produced a mountain of as yet undigested information about the history and archaeology of this fascinating country over four centuries. Now two Spanish archaeologists, aided by a large number of colleagues in Spain, France, Germany and Britain, have produced the first survey in either English or Spanish of the last 30 years of investigations, new discoveries and new theories. Chapters deal with the rural and urban habitat, daily life, trade and technology, castles and fortifications, the display of secular power and all three religions of medieval Spain: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This is a major contribution to the archaeology of medieval Europe and a handbook for archaeologists and travelers.

The German Ocean examines archaeological and historical evidence for the development of economies and societies around the North Sea from the beginning of the 12th century until the end of the 16th century. It draws in material from Scandinavia to Normandy and from Scotland to Kent. While largely concerned with the North Sea littoral, when necessary it takes account of adjacent areas such as the Baltic or inland hinterlands. The North Sea is often perceived as a great divide, divorcing the British Isles from continental Europe. In cultural terms, however, it has always acted more as a lake, supporting communities around its fringes which have frequently had much in common. This is especially true of the medieval period when trade links, fostered in the two centuries prior to 1100, expanded in the 12th and 13th centuries to ensure the development of maritime societies whose material culture was often more remarkable for its similarity across distance than its diversity. Geography, access to raw materials and political expediency could nevertheless combine to provide distinctive regional variations. Economies developed more rapidly in some areas than others; local solutions to problems produced urban and rural environments of different aspect; the growth, and sometimes decline, of towns and ports was often dictated by local as much as wider factors. This book explores evidence for this 'diverse commonality' through the historic environment of the North Sea region with the intention that it will be of interest not only to historians and archaeologists but to those who live and work within the historic environment. This environment is a common European resource with much to contribute to a sustainable future - the book will seek to provide links between a European past and that European future.

This book provides a timely and original overview of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and its longer term affects on the social and physical landscape of England and Wales during the decades that followed. Combining for the first time the full wealth of archaeological evidence gathered over the last century with the established documentary sources, it takes a more nuanced approach to the understanding of an event that has polarised debates ever since the 16th century. The book examines the most immediate and destructive outcomes of the Dissolution, such the ruination and asset stripping of religious property and the dispersal of monastic lands. However, it also presents its longer term, albeit often unexpected, outcomes such as the creation of economic opportunities for individual entrepreneurs and civic authorities, the stimulation of new forms of polite architecture, and the development of previously unimagined leisure landscapes. It concludes that whilst the Dissolution had devastating impact upon those in religious orders, its lasting legacy was the remarkable preservation of the country's medieval Christian heritage through the monuments and archaeological sites that remain to this day in every area of the country. Whilst primarily focusing on archaeological material, the book also encompasses a range of diverse historical sources. It is aimed at students and scholars seeking an introduction to the main debates surrounding the Dissolution, as well as providing original in-depth case studies to illustrate these.

This book provides a timely and original overview of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and its longer term affects on the social and physical landscape of England and Wales during the decades that followed. Combining for the first time the full wealth of archaeological evidence gathered over the last century with the established documentary sources, it takes a more nuanced approach to the understanding of an event that has polarised debates ever since the 16th century. The book examines the most immediate and destructive outcomes of the Dissolution, such the ruination and asset stripping of religious property and the dispersal of monastic lands. However, it also presents its longer term, albeit often unexpected, outcomes such as the creation of economic opportunities for individual entrepreneurs and civic authorities, the stimulation of new forms of polite architecture, and the development of previously unimagined leisure landscapes. It concludes that whilst the Dissolution had devastating impact upon those in religious orders, its lasting legacy was the remarkable preservation of the country's medieval Christian heritage through the monuments and archaeological sites that remain to this day in every area of the country. Whilst primarily focusing on archaeological material, the book also encompasses a range of diverse historical sources. It is aimed at students and scholars seeking an introduction to the main debates surrounding the Dissolution, as well as providing original in-depth case studies to illustrate these.

Archaeologists have shown that towns can claim to be more representative of the nature of society of which they formed part than any other type of site. In towns we are most likely to find archaeological evidence of both long-distance and local trade, of exploitation of natural resources, of specialization and of technological evidence in manufacturing, of social differentiation, of the means of political control, and of the religious aspirations of the population. Medieval Towns is the second and enlarged edition of the book Medieval Towns that was published in 1994 by Continuum. It surveys recent work on the archaeological study of medieval towns in Britain. Its emphasis is on the discoveries by archaeological teams, nearly always on sites to be developed or already under construction. From the vast haul of information now at our disposal, after thirty years of data gathering, we can begin to ask questions of many kinds. What went on in medieval towns? How did the rich and poor live, what nourished them, what did they die of? What was the weather like, the quality of life, the restrictions or special pleasures of living in towns?

This book offers the first comprehensive picture of medieval archaeology of the Czech Lands available in English. As it assembles the main topics of current archaeological research, it establishes the key issues of its methodology. The topics cover the rural and urban milieu, secular power supports (castles, manors etc.), and monastic houses and parish churches. Special attention is given to technology, craft, industry (including mining archaeology and glass production), housing culture and daily life across the social strata. One of the fascinating features is the artefactual presentation of two competing religions; Catholicism and Hussitism. Czech medieval archaeology reveals new details of Jewish everyday life, and the story of the Anabaptists and their Central European crafts heritage. The achievements of contemporary Czech medieval archaeology are well documented while the text ventures on an archaeological journey through the medieval Czech Kingdom: from Prague up to its forgotten rural environment. The primary intention is to piece together the past and illustrate the position of the Czech Lands between the gradual process of medieval transformation (13th century) and early modern transition (16th century). The nine thematic chapters of this work contain an array of boxed texts by specialized researchers, highlighting the themes of particular importance. The entire book is illustrated by figures which have been until now practically unknown in the European context.

The German Ocean examines archaeological and historical evidence for the development of economies and societies around the North Sea from the beginning of the 12th century until the end of the 16th century. It draws in material from Scandinavia to Normandy and from Scotland to Kent. While largely concerned with the North Sea littoral, when necessary it takes account of adjacent areas such as the Baltic or inland hinterlands. The North Sea is often perceived as a great divide, divorcing the British Isles from continental Europe. In cultural terms, however, it has always acted more as a lake, supporting communities around its fringes which have frequently had much in common. This is especially true of the medieval period when trade links, fostered in the two centuries prior to 1100, expanded in the 12th and 13th centuries to ensure the development of maritime societies whose material culture was often more remarkable for its similarity across distance than its diversity. Geography, access to raw materials and political expediency could nevertheless combine to provide distinctive regional variations. Economies developed more rapidly in some areas than others; local solutions to problems produced urban and rural environments of different aspect; the growth, and sometimes decline, of towns and ports was often dictated by local as much as wider factors. This book explores evidence for this 'diverse commonality' through the historic environment of the North Sea region with the intention that it will be of interest not only to historians and archaeologists but to those who live and work within the historic environment. This environment is a common European resource with much to contribute to a sustainable future - the book will seek to provide links between a European past and that European future.

Castles were among the most dominant features of the medieval landscape and many remain impressive structures to the present day. This paperback edition of a book first published in hardback in 2002 is a fascinating and provocative study which looks at castles in a new light, using the theories and methods of landscape studies. For the first time castles are examined not as an isolated phenomenon, but in relation to their surrounding human as well as physical landscapes. Taking a thematic approach, the study examines a broad range of evidence - archaeological, documentary and topographical - to put castles back into the medieval landscape and assess their contribution to its evolution. Far more than simply a book about castles, this is a study of the impact of power and authority on the landscape. O.H. Creighton is Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Exeter. He is the author (with R.A. Higham) of Medieval Castles (Shire, 2003).

Winner of the London Archaeological Prize for outstanding publication of 2010-11 Since the early 1970s the increasingly effective conduct of archaeological work in the City of London and surrounding parts of the conurbation have revolutionised our view of the development and European importance of London between 1100 and 1600. There have been hundreds of archaeological excavations of every type of site, from the cathedral to chapels, palaces to outhouses, bridges, wharves, streams, fields, kilns, roads and lanes. The study of the material culture of Londoners over these five centuries has begun in earnest, based on thousands of accurately dated artefacts, especially found along the waterfront. Work by documentary historians has complemented and filled out the new picture. This book, written by an archaeologist who has been at the centre of this study since 1974, will summarise the main findings and new suggestions about the development of the City, its ups and downs through the Black Death and the Dissolution of the Monasteries; its place in Europe as a capital city with great architecture and relations with many other parts of Europe, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. London has been the most intensively studied medieval city in Europe by archaeologists, due to the pace of development especially since the 1970s. Thus although this will be a study of a single medieval city, it will be a major contribution to the Archaeology of Europe, 1100-1600. Praise for this Volume: '..an expert account the book is well designed, expertly illustrated and manages to bridge the gap between an accessible and popular account, with a scholarly framework with full references and an extensive bibliography. This is a book that readers can turn to again and again in order to refresh their knowledge of the archaeology of this medieval metropolis.' Terry Barry, Medieval Archaeology 56, 2012 'This is an important and useful book. And, crucially it's a good read.' British Archaeology, May-June 2012 'John Schofield snythesises a huge volume of archaeology to produce this coherent account packed with detail and fascinating visual evidence, and much enlivened by the author's own observations -- for example, on exotic imported food and whether Londoners had different diets from other parts of England, or on the impact of communities of 'aliens' on the city, including Jewish financiers, and Italian, French and Spanish merchants, or on the effect of London on its hinterland.' SALON number 267, December 2011 'His detailed knowledge of projects both famous and unsung paints a potent picture of London between 1100 and 1600.' Current Archaeology, June 2012 'This is a stimulating book, opening one's eyes to many facets of the past. It can be highly recommended to anyone who wants to find out what archaeology has to offer about London's history, and where future research might lead.' Bridget Cherry, London Topographical Society Newsletter, May 2012 'Schofield draws useful parallels between London and other comparable cities in Europe.. there are some wonderful kernels of information that connect the buildings of London to others throughout the country. This volume is likely to appeal both to those with a general interest as well as to those with more defined archaeological leanings...Schofield's lucid writing style is concise, informative and engaging.' Sara Crofts, SPAB, Cornerstone, Autumn 2012